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Donald Trump

Donald John Trump(/ˈdɒnəlddʒɒntrʌmp/;
born June 14, 1946) is aNew Yorkreal estate
developerandcelebritywho won the2016
electionto be
the 45thPresident of
the United States. Hispresidential
transitionis
underway towards a scheduledinaugurationinWashington, D.C.on January 20, 2017.

Trump was born and raised in theQueensboroughofNew York Cityand received abachelor's degreein economics from theWharton Schoolof theUniversity of
Pennsylvaniain
1968. In 1971, he took control ofhis family's
real estate and construction firm, Elizabeth Trump & Son, which was later
renamedThe Trump
Organization. Duringhis career,
Trump has built, renovated or managed numerous office towers, hotels, casinos,
and golf courses.Various
other products and activitiesbear his name. He owned theMiss USAandMiss Universepageants from 1996 to 2015, and has madecameo
appearancesin
films and television series. From 2004 to 2015, Trump hosted and co-producedThe
Apprentice, a reality television series onNBC. As of 2016, he was listed
byForbesas the 324thwealthiest person
in the world, and 113th in the United States, with a net worth of
$4.5 billion that would make him thewealthiest
U.S. President.

Trump quickly emerged as the front-runner in theRepublican
primariesamong
17 contenders. His final rivals suspended their campaigns in May 2016, and in
July, he was formally nominated at theRepublican
Convention. Trump won the general election on November 8, 2016, by
receiving a majority of theElectoral
College, whileDemocraticpresidential nomineeHillary Clintonreceived a plurality of the nationwidepopular
vote. At 70 years of age, he will be theoldest
person to begin a first term as president. Trump's 2016 presidential
campaign received unprecedented media coverage and international attention.
Many of his statements in interviews, at campaign rallies, and onTwitter, have beencontroversial
or false. Several Trump rallies during the primaries were
accompanied byprotests(as was his opponent's rallies), while more
nationwide protests followed his election to the presidency.

Early life

Trump was born on June 14,
1946, inJamaica, Queens, a neighborhood in New York City,the fourth of five children. His
siblings areMaryanne, Fred, Elizabeth, and Robert. Trump's older
brother Fred Jr. died in 1981 fromalcoholism, which Trump says led him to abstain from alcohol and
cigarettes.

Ancestry

Trump is of German ancestry on his father's side and Scottish
ancestry on his mother's side; his mother, and all four of his grandparents,
were born in Europe. His father,Fred Trump(1905–1999), was born inQueensto parents fromKallstadt, Germany, and became one of the
biggest real estate developers in New York City.[7][8]His mother,Mary Trump(née MacLeod, 1912–2000), emigrated
to New York from her birthplace ofTong, Lewis, Scotland.Fred and Mary met in New York and married
in 1936, establishing their household in Queens.

His uncle,John G. Trump, a professor atMassachusetts
Institute of Technologyfrom
1936 to 1973, was involved in radar research for the Allies in theSecond World War, and helped design X-ray
machines that provided additional years of life to cancer patients; in 1943,
theFederal
Bureau of Investigationrequested
John Trump to examineNikola Tesla's papers and equipment when Tesla
died in his room at theNew Yorker Hotel.Donald Trump's grandfather wasFrederick Trumpwho amassed a fortune operating boom-town
restaurants and boarding houses in the region of Seattle andKlondike, Canada.

TheTrump familywere originallyLutherans, but Trump's parents belonged to theReformed Church
in America.The
family name was formerly spelledDrumpf, and
later was changed to Trump during theThirty Years' Warin the 17th century. This was highlighted
during an episode ofLast
Week Tonight with John Oliver.Trump has said that he is proud of hisGerman Americanheritage; he served asgrand marshalof the 1999German-American
Steuben Paradein New
York City.

Education

Trump's family had a two-storyTudor Revivalhome on Midland Parkway inJamaica Estates, where he lived while
attendingThe Kew-Forest School.He left the school at age 13 and was
enrolled in theNew York Military
Academy(NYMA),inCornwall, New York,where
he finished eighth grade and high school. Trump was an energetic child, his
parents hoped that the discipline at the military school would allow him to
channel his energy in a positive manner.In 1983, Fred Trump told an interviewer
that Donald "was a pretty rough fellow when he was small".

Trump participated inmarching drills, wore a uniform, and during
his senior year attained the rank of captain. He was transferred from a student
command position after the alleged hazing of a new freshman in his barracks by
one of Trump's subordinates; Trump describes the transfer as "a
promotion".In
2015, he told a biographer that NYMA gave him "more training militarily
than a lot of the guys that go into the military".

Trump attendedFordham Universityinthe Bronxfor two years, beginning in August 1964. He
then transferred to theWharton School of the University of PennsylvaniainPhiladelphia, which offered one of the fewreal
estate studiesdepartments
in United States academia at the time.While
there, he worked at the family's company, Elizabeth Trump & Son, named forhis paternal
grandmother.He
graduated from Penn in May 1968 with aBachelor of Science
degreein
economics.

Trump was not drafted during theVietnam War.While in college from 1964–68, he obtained
four student deferments.In
1966, he was deemed fit for service based upon a military medical examination,
and in 1968 was briefly classified as fit by a local draft board, but was given
a 1-Ymedical defermentin October 1968.In an interview for a 2015 biography, he
attributed his medical deferment toheel spurs.In December 1969, he received a high number
in thedraft lottery,
which would also have exempted him from service.

Political
career

Involvement in politics, 1988–2015

Further
information:Donald
Trump presidential campaign, 2000

Trump
first expressed interest in running for office in 1987, when he spent $100,000
to place full-page ads critiquing U.S. defense policy in several newspapers.

Trump considered the idea of running for president in 1988,
2004, and 2012, and forGovernor of New Yorkin 2006 and 2014, but did not enter those
races.He was
considered as a potential running mate for George H. W. Bush on the Republican
Party's 1988 presidential ticket but lost out to future Vice PresidentDan Quayle. There is dispute over whether
Trump or the Bush camp made the initial pitch.

In 1999, Trump filed anexploratory committeeto seek the presidential nomination of the
Reform Party in 2000.A July
1999 poll matching him against likely Republican nomineeGeorge W. Bushand likely Democratic nomineeAl Goreshowed Trump with seven percent support. Trump
eventually dropped out of the race due to party infighting, but still won the
party's California and Michigan primaries after doing so.

In February 2009, Trump appeared onThe Late
Show with David Letterman, and spoke about theautomotive
industry crisis of 2008–10. He said that "instead of asking for
money",General Motors"should go into bankruptcy and work
that stuff out in a deal".

As Trump publicly speculated about seeking the2012Republican presidential nomination, aWall Street Journal/NBC
News poll released in March 2011 found Trump leading among potential
contenders, one point ahead of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.ANewsweekpoll conducted in February 2011 showed
Trump within a few points of Barack Obama, with many voters undecided in the
November 2012 general election for president of the United States.A poll released in April 2011 byPublic Policy Pollingshowed Trump having a nine-point lead in a
potential contest for the Republican nomination for president while he was
still actively considering a run.His
moves were interpreted by some media as possible promotional tools for his
reality showThe
Apprentice.

Trump played a leading role in longstanding"birther"
conspiracy theories.Beginning
in March 2011, Trump publicly questionedBarack Obama's citizenship and eligibility to
serve as President.Although
Obama had released his birth certificate in 2008,Trump said that it was missingand demanded to see it.Trump said that he had sent investigators
to Hawaii to research the question, but he did not follow up with any findings.He also repeated a debunked allegation that
Obama's grandmother said she had witnessed his birth in Kenya.When theWhite Houselater released Obama's long-form birth
certificate,Trump
took credit for obtaining the document, saying "I hope it checks
out."His
official biography mentions his purported role in forcing Obama's hand,and he has defended his pursuit of the issue
when prompted. In 2013 he said, "I don't think I went overboard. Actually,
I think it made me very popular."When
asked in 2015 whether Obama was born in the United States, Trump said he did
not want to discuss it further.Earlier,
Trump had also called for Obama to release his student records, questioning
whether his grades warranted entry into an Ivy League school.In September 2016, Trump publicly
acknowledged that Obama was born in the U.S., and falsely stated that rumors to
the contrary had been started byHillary Clintonduring her2008
presidential campaign.

Trump
speaking at theConservative
Political Action Conferencein
2011

In February 2011, Trump made his first speaking appearance at
theConservative
Political Action Conference(CPAC).
His appearance at CPAC was organized byGOProud, anLGBT conservativeorganization, in conjunction with GOPround
supporterRoger Stone, who was close with Trump.
GOPround pushed for a write-in campaign for Donald Trump at CPAC's presidential
straw poll.Christopher R. Barron,
co-founder of GOProud who would later not only endorse Trump's 2016
presidential campaign, but also launch LGBT for Trump, said he "would love
to see Mr. Trump run for president." The 2011 CPAC speech Trump gave is
credited for helping kick-start his political career within theRepublican
Party.

In the 2012 Republican primaries, Trump generally had polled at
or below 17 percent among the crowded field of possible candidates. On May 16,
2011, Trump announced he would not run for president in the 2012 election,
while also saying he would have won.

In 2013, Trump was a featured speaker at the Conservative
Political Action Conference (CPAC).During
the lightly attended early-morning speech, Trump said that President Obama gets
"unprecedented media protection", spoke against illegal immigration,
and advised against harming Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Also in 2013, he spent over $1 million to research a possible
run for president of the United States.In October 2013, New York Republicans
circulated a memo suggesting Trump should run for governor of the state in
2014, againstAndrew Cuomo; Trump said in response that
while New York had problems and taxes were too high, running for governor was
not of great interest to him.A
February 2014 Quinnipiac poll had shown Trump losing to the popular Cuomo by 37
points in a hypothetical election.He also
made statements denying climate change that were discordant with theopinion
of the scientific community.In February 2015, Trump said he told NBC
that he was not prepared to sign on for another season ofThe Apprenticeat that time, as he mulled his political
future.

Political affiliations

With
PresidentRonald Reaganat White House reception in 1987

Trump's party affiliation has changed over the years. Although
his party affiliation prior to 1987 is unclear, Trump was an early supporter of
RepublicanRonald Reaganfor United States President in the late
1970s.By
1987, he identified as a Republican.During
the1992
Presidential Election, there was speculation that Trump would be
PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush'srunning mate and replace
then-Vice-PresidentDan Quayle.Bush felt the proposal was “strange and
unbelievable”, and ultimately Quayle was kept on the ticket.

In 1999, Trump switched to the Reform Party for three years and
ran apresidential
exploratory campaignfor its
nomination. After his run, Trump left the party in 2001 due to the involvement
ofDavid Duke,Pat Buchanan, andLenora Fulaniwithin the party.

From 2001 to 2008 he was a Democrat, but in 2008 he endorsed
RepublicanJohn McCainfor President. In 2009, he officially
changed his party registration to Republican.In December 2011, Trump became an
Independent for five months before returning to the Republican Party, where he
has pledged to stay.

Trump has made contributions to campaigns of both Republican
Party and Democratic Party candidates, with the top ten recipients of his
political contributions being six Democrats and four Republicans.After 2011, his campaign contributions were
more favorable to Republicans than to Democrats.In February 2012, Trump endorsed Republican
Mitt Romney for President.When
asked in 2015 which recent President he prefers, Trump picked DemocratBill Clintonover the RepublicanBushes.

According to a New York state report, Trump circumvented
corporate and personal campaign donation limits in the 1980s—although no laws
were broken—by donating money to candidates from 18 different business
subsidiaries, rather than donating primarily in his own name.Trump told investigators he did so on the
advice of his lawyers. He also said the contributions were not to curry favor
with business-friendly candidates, but simply to satisfy requests from friends.

Presidential campaign, 2016

Main article:Donald
Trump presidential campaign, 2016

Donald
Trump campaigning inLaconia, New
Hampshireon July 16,
2015

On June 16, 2015, Trump announced his candidacy for President of
the United States atTrump Towerin New York City. In the speech, Trump drew
attention to domestic issues such asillegal
immigration,offshoringof American jobs, theU.S.
national debt, andIslamic terrorism, which all remained large
themes during the campaign. He also announced his campaign slogan, "Make America Great
Again."

Trump ran as a self-described conservative, particularly insocialandreligiousmatters. His campaign emphasizedAmerican patriotism,
with a disdain for notions such aspolitical correctnessandmedia bias.In part due to his fame, Trump's run for
president received an unprecedented amount of media attention.

Republican leaders such asHouse SpeakerPaul Ryanwere hesitant to support him early on. They
doubted his chances of winning thegeneral
electionand
feared he could harm the image of theRepublican
Party.

Thealt-rightmovement coalesced around Trump's
candidacy,due in
part to itsopposition to
multiculturalismandimmigration.
Trump was accused of pandering towhite nationalists.In August he appointed as his campaign CEOSteve Bannon, the executive chairman ofBreitbart News, described by Bannon as
"the platform for the alt-right".

Some rallies during the primary season were accompanied by
protests or violence, including attacks on protesters inside the rallies, and
clashes between protesters and Trump supporters outside the venues.

Fact checking organizations have denounced Trump for making a
record number of false statements compared to other candidates.At least four major publications –Politico,The Washington Post,The New York Times,and theLos Angeles Times –
pointed out lies or falsehoods in his campaign statements.Trump's penchant for exaggerating may have
roots in the world of New York real estate where he made his fortune, and where
hyperbole is a way of life; Trump calls it "truthful hyperbole".Lucas Graves, a professor at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism
& Mass Communication, says that Trump often speaks in a
suggestive way that makes it unclear what exactly he meant, so that
fact-checkers "have to be really careful when you pick claims to
check."

Trump has stated that the media has intentionally misinterpreted
his words.The New
York Timesreported
in August 2016 that journalistic standards normally prevent mainstream,
non-opinion journalists from becoming oppositional against a particular
candidate, but opined that the Trump campaign was "not normal".

Political
positions

Main article:Political
positions of Donald Trump

Trump
and his running mate, Indiana GovernorMike Pence, July 2016

Trump has described his political leanings and positions in
various ways over time.Politicohas described his positions as
"eclectic, improvisational and often contradictory".He has listed several different party
affiliations over the yearsand has
also run as aReform
Partycandidate.The positions that he has revised or
reversed include stances onprogressive taxation,abortion, andgovernment
involvement in health care.

Trump's political positions are widely described by the media as"populist".Trump has described his political positions
in various and often contradictory ways over time.Trump stated, "I have evolved on many
issues. There are some issues that are very much the same, I've been constant
on many issues. But I have evolved on certain issues."PolitiFact.comwrote that it is difficult to determine
Trump's stance on issues, given his frequent changes in position and "his
penchant for using confusing, vague and even contradictory language".PolitiFact.comcounted at least 17 times when Trump said
something and then denied having said it.

Social issues

Trump describes himself aspro-lifeand generally opposesabortionwith some exceptions: rape, incest, and
circumstances endangering the health of the mother.TheSusan B. Anthony List,
an anti-abortion political advocacy group, praised Trump'slist
of potential Supreme Court nomineesas "exceptionally strong", whileNARAL Pro-Choice
Americacalled the candidates on the list "a woman's worst
nightmare".Trump
has stated that he supports "traditional marriage".He opposes the 2015Obergefell v. HodgesSupreme
Court ruling that legalizedsame-sex
marriagenationwideand believes the decision should be left to
individual states.Trump
had stated that if he were elected, he would "strongly consider"
appointing Supreme Court justices that would overturn the ruling.Trump supports a broad interpretation of
theSecond Amendmentand says he is opposed togun controlin general,although his views have shifted over time.He supports fixing thefederal background check systemso that criminal and mental health records
are always put into the system.Trump
opposeslegalizing
recreational marijuanabut
supports legalizingmedical marijuana.Trump favorscapital
punishment.

Economic issues

Trump's campaign tax plan calls for reducing thecorporate
tax rateto 15%,
concurrent with the elimination of various business loopholes and deductions.Personal income taxes would also be
reduced; the top rate would be reduced from 39.6% to 25%, a large "zero
bracket" would be created, and thealternative minimum
taxwould
be eliminated, as would theestate tax(which currently applies to individual
estates over $5.45 million or $10.9 million per married couple).Under Trump's economic plan, families with
head-of-household filing status making between $20,000 and $200,000, including
many single parents, would pay more in taxes than under current tax law, due to
Trump's elimination of some deductions and exemptions.Several reports assess that the economy
would be "diminished" by heavy job losses and recession under Trump's
economic policies,with a
large number of economists, including 19 of 32 living Nobel laureates, warning
against his economic policies.Two
analyses find that Trump's economic plan will have mixed results; one analysis
finds that Trump's plan would create short-term economic gains but major
long-term economic losses in terms of jobs,and another analysis finds that the plan
will create 2.2 million jobs, a major increase in capital stock and some wage
growth, but by increasing federal debt by between $2.6 trillion and $3.9
trillion.

Trump's comments about the minimum wage have been inconsistent:he has said that a low minimum wage is
good;that
the minimum wage shouldnotbe raised;that the minimum wageshouldbe raised;that he would like an increase, but the
states should do the increasing;that he
is against any federal minimum wage floor;and that he is in favor of a $10 federal
minimum wage, but "let the states make the deal".

Trump identifies as a "free trader", but says that trade must be
"reasonably fair", and has described supporters of international
trade deals that are good for other countries but not good for the United
States as "blood suckers".He has
often been referred to as "protectionist".He saysNAFTAhas been the "worst trade deal in
history", and would as president either renegotiate or break the NAFTA
agreement.He
opposes the proposedTrans-Pacific
Partnership(TPP).Trump proposes to raise tariffs onChinese exports to the United Statesby 45%, and has raised the idea of placing
35% tariffs on Mexican exports to the United States.Trump has called theWorld Trade
Organization(WTO) a
"disaster",and
favors renegotiating or leaving the WTO unless it allows his proposed tariff
increases.

Personal
life

Family

Main article:Family of Donald
Trump

Trump has five children by three marriages, and has eight
grandchildren.His first
two marriages ended in divorces that were publicized in thetabloid media.

Family
tree showing Donald Trump's children from his three marriages withIvana Trump,Marla Maples, andMelania Trump

Trump married his first wife, Czech modelIvana Zelníčková, on April 7, 1977, at theMarble Collegiate
ChurchinManhattanin a ceremony performed by one of America's
most famous ministers, the ReverendNorman Vincent Peale.They had three children: sonDonald Jr.(born December 31, 1977), daughterIvanka(born October 30, 1981), and sonEric(born
January 6, 1984). Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric now serve as executive vice
presidents ofThe Trump
Organization.Ivana
became a naturalized United States citizen in 1988.

Trump has been nicknamed "The Donald" since Ivana
referred to him as such in a 1989Spymagazinecover story.By early 1990, Trump's troubled marriage to
Ivana and affair with actressMarla Mapleshad been reported in the tabloid press.Ivana Trump was granted an uncontested
divorce in 1990, on the grounds that Trump's treatment of her, such as his
affair with Maples, had been "cruel and inhuman".In 1992, he successfully sued Ivana for
violating a gag clause in their divorce agreement by disclosing facts about him
in her book.In
2015, Ivana said that she and Donald "are the best of friends".

With
wifeMelaniaat
a 2016 campaign event

Maples gave birth to their daughterTiffany, named afterTiffany & Company(Trump's purchase of the air rights above
the store in the 1980s allowed him to buildTrump Toweron Fifth Avenue), on October 13, 1993.They married two months later on December
20, 1993.The
couple formally separated in May 1997,with their
divorce finalized in June 1999.Tiffany
was raised by her mother inCalabasas, California,
where she lived until her graduation fromViewpoint School.

In 1998, Trump began a relationship withSlovenemodelMelania Knauss, who became his third wife.They were engaged in April 2004and were
married on January 22, 2005, atBethesda-by-the-SeaEpiscopal Church, on the island ofPalm Beach, Florida,
followed by a reception at Trump'sMar-a-Lagoestate.In 2006, Melania became a naturalized
United States citizen.On
March 20, 2006, she gave birth to their son, whom they named Barron Trump.Having heard the language since his birth,
Barron is fluent inSlovene.In a February 2009 interview on ABC's news
programNightline, Trump commented that
his love for his business had made it difficult for his first two wives to
compete with his affection for work.

Trump's brother, Fred Jr., predeceased their father Fred.
Shortly after the latter died in 1999, the wife of Fred Jr.'s son gave birth to
a son with serious medical problems. Trump and his family offered to pay the
medical bills through Fred Sr.'s company (Fred Sr. freely provided medical
coverage to his family through his company for decades).Fred III then sued the family for allegedly
having used "undue influence" on a dementia-stricken Fred Sr. to get
Fred III and his sister Mary a reduced share from their grandfather's will, but
Trump attributed the reduced share to his father's dislike of Fred III's
mother, and Trump stopped the aid for Fred III's son. The aid was resumed by
court order pending outcome of the lawsuit, which was then settled.

Religious views

Trump is aPresbyterian.He has said that he began going to church
at theFirst
Presbyterian Churchin theJamaicaneighborhood inQueensas a child.Trump attendedSunday schooland had hisconfirmationat that church.In an April 2011 interview onThe 700 Club, he commented:
"I'm aProtestant, I'm a Presbyterian. And you know
I've had a good relationship with the church over the years. I think religion
is a wonderful thing. I think my religion is a wonderful religion."Trump told a 2015 South Carolina campaign
audience he attendsMarble Collegiate
Church, where he married his first wife Ivana in 1977. Marble has
said that, though Trump has a longstanding history with the church, he is not
an active member of Marble.Trump
is also loosely affiliated with Lakeside Presbyterian Church in West Palm
Beach, Florida, which is nearby his Palm Beach estate.Trump has said that although he
participates inHoly Communion, he has not asked God for
forgiveness for his sins. He stated, "I think if I do something wrong, I
think, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture."

Trump calls his own bookThe Art of the
Deal(1987)
"my second favorite book of all time", and has told campaign
audiences: "Do you know what my first is? The Bible! Nothing beats the
Bible."Declining
to name his favorite Bible verse, Trump said "I don't like giving that out
to people that you hardly know."However,
his religious knowledge was questioned after a speech he gave toLiberty University,
in which he referred toSecond Corinthiansas "Two Corinthians", eliciting
chuckles from some in the audience.

Trump maintains relationships with several prominent nationalEvangelical Protestantand other Christian leaders, includingTony PerkinsandRalph E. Reed Jr.During his 2016 presidential campaign, he
received a blessing fromGreek OrthodoxpriestEmmanuel Lemelson.At anAlgemeiner Journalawards ceremony honoring him with the
Algemeiner Liberty Award, he was asked about havingJewishgrandchildren. In reference to daughterIvanka, whoconvertedtoJudaismbefore her marriage toJared Kushner, Trump said: "Not only do I
have Jewish grandchildren, I have a Jewish daughter; and I am very honored by
that ... it wasn't in the plan but I am very glad it happened."

Controversy involving the Pope

In February 2016, while on his way home following a visit to
Mexico,Pope Francissaid the following when asked about Trump:

A person who thinks only about building walls—wherever they may
be—and not building bridges, is not Christian ... I'd just say that this man
[Trump] is not Christian if he said it this way ... We must see if he said
things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.

Trump responded that it was "disgraceful" for the Pope
to question his faith, suggesting that the Mexican government was "using
the Pope as a pawn" for political purposes, "because they want to
continue to rip off the United States."Trump added that "if and when"Islamic
Stateattacks
the Vatican, the Pope would have "wished and prayed" Trump were
President because under his leadership such an attack would not happen.

The following day, Director of theHoly See Press OfficeFederico Lombardiinsisted that the Pope was not launching an
attack on Trump nor trying to sway voters by declaring that someone who
advocates building walls is not Christian.After the clarification by Lombardi, Trump
downplayed his differences with the Pope, saying "I don't think this is a
fight."